NGOs say no to Jatigede dam project in W. Java<\/p>\n
Muninggar Sri Saraswati, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
A number of non-governmental organizations strongly opposed on
\nMonday a government plan to construct the Jatigede dam in
\nSumedang, West Java, saying the government should prioritize the
\nreforestation of the upper reaches of the Cimanuk river instead.<\/p>\n
"Reforestation should become the first priority for
\nmaintaining the water catchment area, without which there would
\nnot be enough water to fill up the reservoir," said Usep Setiawan
\nof the Working Group on Conservation for Nature and Natural
\nResources.<\/p>\n
The government's argument that the dam would help thousands of
\nfarmers in West Java overcome drought and floods "was only an
\nexcuse" as the two natural phenomena were triggered by rampant
\ndeforestation.<\/p>\n
Taufik Kiemas, the husband of President Megawati
\nSoekarnoputri, said over the weekend that the construction of the
\nJatigede dam was a political decision that had to be carried out
\nsoon.<\/p>\n
The government claims that the Rp 600 billion project, which
\nis expected to start in April 2004, will have the capacity to
\nhold 650 million cubic meters of water to supply some 90,000
\nhectares of farmland in the northern part of West Java and some
\nparts of Central Java.<\/p>\n
Usep warned that the construction of the dam would create more
\nenvironmental problems as the soil where the government planned
\nto build the dam was not stable.<\/p>\n
"The soil where the dam is to be built is not stable. It is
\nprone to landslides," he said, citing an analysis from a Bandung-
\nbased environmental agency.<\/p>\n
If the project is pushed through, it would cover an area of
\nsome 6,000 hectares of unstable land.<\/p>\n
Economically speaking, Usep added, the construction of the dam
\nwould not be beneficial to farmers, who were mostly peasants.<\/p>\n
The land that would be flooded by the reservoir in Jatigede
\nwas very fertile, with local farmers able to harvest three crops
\na year, while the farmers in other areas could only harvest two
\ncrops a year.<\/p>\n
"The government should encourage Jatigede to become a major
\nrice producer, instead of submerging it under a reservoir," Usep
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
He warned the government to consider the fate of the some
\n5,000 families from 30 villages in five districts in Sumedang who
\nwould have to be relocated if the dam project was to be pursued.<\/p>\n
The farmers, who had lived there for generations, would not be
\nable to survive if the government moved them to other places,
\nUsep said.<\/p>\n
The government, which has been planning the project since the
\n1980s, started relocating residents from the area in the 1990s.
\nSome of those who had been relocated recently came back to
\nJatigede as they could not farm the land in the places that had
\nbeen assigned to them. The land was not as fertile as that in
\nJatigede, Usep said.<\/p>\n
Longgena Gintings of the Indonesian Forum for the Environment
\n(Walhi) warned the government to learn from the unresolved
\ncontroversy involving the development of the Kedungombo dam in
\nCentral Java.<\/p>\n
The water level of the Kedungombo reservoir, which was built
\nto overcome water shortages in some parts of Central Java, has
\ncontinued to decline during the current drought.<\/p>\n
The development of the World Bank-funded Kedungombo dam in
\n1991 forced 5,268 families off their land, with low compensation
\nbeing paid for the 9,529 hectares that were expropriated from
\nthem.<\/p>\n
To date, the dispute involving the Rp 152 million dam has yet
\nto be settled.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/ngos-say-no-to-jatigede-dam-project-in-w-java-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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